*r  fH 


■■r.  LIBRARY 
D!      '      N.  C. 

A  FRIEND  INDEED. 


THERE  is  an  old  saying, 
indeed"  A  hungry  man  thinks  so  wlien  be  gets  a  loaf  of 
bread,  and  the  thirsty  man,  when  some  one  gives  him  a  cup 
of  water.  The  traveler  thin] s  so,  when  he  has  lost  his  way, 
and  some  one  tells  him  which  is  the  right  road.  Tbe  Biok 
man  feels  the  truth  of  this  saying,  when  he  receives  a  certain 
cure  for  bis  sickness,  and  the  drowning  man  feels  it,  when  a 
strong  arm  draws  him  out  of  the  water.  * 

This  little  printed  paper  comes  to  yon  in  your  need  as  a 
friend  indeed.  Will  you  welcome  its  call,  and  hear  what  it 
has  to  say  ? 

You  have  two   things  to 
soul.     The  body   needs   to   I 

health,  and  whatever  we  do  to  defile  it,  or  injure  it,  is  sinful. 
But  with  all  our  care  it  will  not  last  a  great  while.  Most 
of  the  trees  and  houses  that  we  pass  every  day,  will  be  where 
they  are  now,  long  after  our  bodies  are  under  ground. 

But  it  is  not  so  with  tbe  sold.  That  will  live  always.  It 
will  live  when  the  trees  are  all  dead,  and  the  bouses  are  all 
fallen.  It  will  live  when  the  earth  and  the  seas,  the  moon 
and  the  stars,  yes,  and  the  sun  itself,  shall  have  all  passed 
away ! 

The  soul  will  never  oease  to  live  ! 

Will  you  think  of  this,  my  friend  ?  Your  soul  is  to  live 
always ! 

God  made  both  our  bodies  and  our  souls.  You  know  that 
everything  that  is  made  must  have  had  a  maker,  and  he 
"who  built  all  things  is  God."     (Acts  xvii.  24  :  Heb.  iii.  4.) 

God  takes  care  of  u§  every  moment.  It  is  in  him  we  live, 
and   move  and  have  our  being.  (Aqts    xvii.  28.     He  gives 


2  ,         A    FRIEND    INDEED. 

us  health  and  food,  clothes  and  friends.  la  it  not  right  that 
we  should  do  what  he  tells  us  to  do,  and  try  to  please  him 
in  all  things  ? 

In  the  Holy  Scriptures  we  h-we  his  law  plainly  set  before 
us ;  and  besides  that,  we  have  within  us  a  law,  written  on 
the  heart,  which  is  also  the  law  of  God,  and  which  approves 
of  what  is  right  and  condemns  "what  is  wrong.  (Romans 
ii.  15.) 

This  holy  law  requires  us  to  love  God  with  the  whole  heart, 
and  our  neighbor  as  ourselves.  (Mark  xii.  29-33.)  Is  not 
this  a  very  just  and  good  law  ?  If  all  men  should  obey  it, 
would  not  ali  men  be  happy  ?     Just  think  of  it. 

But  all  men  have  done  many  things  which  this  good  law 
forbids,  and  have  left  undone  many  things  which  it  requires. 
So  that  the  Bible  truly  says,  "All  have  sinned,  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God."  (Romans  iii.  23.) 

Now  we  cannot  ask  to  have  this  good  law  set  aside  and 
made  of  no  account,  because  it  condemns  us  for  our  sins. 
Nor  can  we  ask  or  expect  that  our  obedience  in  time  to 
come,  will  make  up  for  our  past  sins.  A  murderer  is  not 
pardoned,  even  among  men,  just  because  he  promises  not  to 
commit  murder  again.  <3od  is  just  ami  holy,  as  well  as  kind 
and  good,  and  if  we  break  his  law,  we  must  expect  he  will 
punish  us  as  he  says  he  will ;  and  we  can  all  see,  that  "it 
is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into,  the  hauds  of  the  living  God." 
(Hebrews  x.  31.)  We  need  not  fear  them  that  kill  the 
body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do ;  but  we 
ought  to  fear  him  who,  after  he  hath  killed,  hath  power  to 
destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell.  (Luke  xii.  4,  5 ;  Mat- 
thew x.  28.) 

Do  you  not  feel  in  your  own  heart,  that  you  are  not  what 
you  ought  to  be  ?  And  do  you  think,  if  you  should  die  just 
as  you  are,  you  could  be  happy  with  the  holy  beings  that 
dwell  in  heaven  ?  And  yet  you  want  to  be  happy.  You  have 
a  soul  that  might  be  happy.  If  you  were  holy  you  would 
be  happy — happy  now  and  happy  for  ever. 

But  what  can  a  wicked  man  do  to  make  himself  holy  ? 
This  is  the  very  thing  I  have  come#to  tell  you.  The  Son 
of  God  came  into  the  world,  and  having  taken  upon  himself 
the  form  of  a  man,  perfectly  obeyed  God's  law,  and  suffered 


A    FRIEFD    INTDF:i>D. 


the  penalty  which  we  deserve  for  having  broken  it  ;  and 
,now  God  is  pleased  to  say,  that  whosoever  repents  of  his 
sins,  and  forsakes  them,  and  believes  in  Jesus  Christ,  shall 
not  be  punished  for  his  sins,  but  shall  have  everlasting  life. 
For  Christ's  sake,  God  can  aid  will  pardon  the  most  wicked 
sinner  who  repents  and  believes  in  him.  (John  iii.  16.)  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  also  sent  to  cleanse  us  from  sin,  and  make 
our  hearts  holv  like  Christ.  (1  Corinthians  vi.  11  ;  Titus  iii. 
5,6.) 

Perhaps  you  think  he  will  not  bestow  so  great  a  gift  on 
such  an  one  as  you  are  ;  but  to  encourage  you  to  come  to 
him,  he  likens  himself  to  a  father,  and  tells  you  that  he  is 
more  .willing  to  give  his  Holy  Spirit,  to  them  that  ask  him, 
than-  earthly  parents  are  to  give  good  things  to  their  child 
ren.  (Luke  xi.  9-13.) 

Were  you  even  the  chief  of  sinners,  there  is  a  word  of 
encouragement  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  which  is  meant  for 
you.  The  apostle  Paul  says,  "It  is  a  faithful  sayiog,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  Came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners,  of  „waoM  I  am  chief."  (I  Timothy 
i.  15.)  J 

Now,  my  friend,  you  must  either  cast  away  your  Bible  as 
a  book  of  fables,  and  be  in  darkness  as  much  as  the  heathen 
are,  or  you  must  allow  that  God  is  very  gracious  and  merci- 
ful, and  could  not  have  done  more  for  you  thau  he  has  done. 
I  beg  you  then  to  answer  to  yourself  these  four  plain  ques- 
tions : — 
*1.  Are  3^11  now  ready  to  forsake  all  your  sins,  aud4o  do 
k^ji^^atYx^<^mlD71s}g4i  to  do?         *      -     t     .  fSt< 
9  *  *    2.JDo  yon  feS^om*  neeUlf  stWgth  fron>GoJ  foliiSWj 
yo^ito  keep  his  commandments  ?  *        \ 

*1   t&^&y0!^*1*!  t0  talrethe  XordtJetu^hrilKfor  your  \^V> 
>ur.  and  to  ctfva  nrWery  hope  of  mercy  which  does 

t    *V* 

pe.iishlng"  creature,  ^^ 

''  Gob  ipijviArSiful  to  m!?%  IkifejW  -  ^ 

hea^s^hW  prayer,   and%ft',it  cdrnis  from  the 
he swill,   Foi^OTHst  sake,  bloro^t^t^  4rJ^a^jJ  J 
*  5  $"J|^c<^k>  serve  and  enjoy  him  for  ever. 


•> 


fonl^^fbur^and  to  give  u 
nol  rest^n  him  ? 


T1  '         X  •  \ 

*  zi[\  Al^y°u.^i^t(>  fall/Iowh  >on  your  Unties*  amVerv  o 


»-*«iA 


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VV 


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I&nc 


CHRIST    THE    FRIEND    OF    SINNERS, 

One  there  is,  above  ill  others, 

Well  deserves  the  name  of  Friend  ; 
His  is  love  beyond  a  brother's, 

Costly,  free,  and  kjnows  no  end. 

Wbicb  of  all  our  friends,  to  save  us, 

Could  or  would  hfcve  shed  his  blood  ? 
But  this  Saviour  died  to  have  us 

Reconciled  in  him  to  God. 
_ « 

When  he  lived  on  earth  abased, 

Friend  of  sinners  was  Ids  name  ; 
Now  above  all  glory  raised, 

lie  rejoices  in  the  same. 

0 !  for  grace  our  hearts  to  soften  ; 

Teach  us,  Lord,  at  length  to  love  ; 
We,  alas  !  forget  too  often, 

What  a  friend  we  have  above. 


.•»*• 


ac^At**^ 


Hollinger  Corp. 
pH  8.5 


